2021 Judicial Conference Program

Major Projects Committee Hon. John P. Morrissey and Pamela Harris, Co-Chairs

PURPOSE

The Major Projects Committee addresses policy-related matters regarding the implementation and ongoing operation of new and existing technology projects, as well as the establishment of priorities for the implementation of those projects. The committee works collaboratively with the Court Technology Committee and Judicial Information Systems.

MEMBERS

Hon. Fred Hecker, Hon. S. James Sarbanes, Hon. Norman Stone, Hon. Charlene Notarcola, Hon. Barbara Meiklejohn, Faye Gaskin (ex- officio), Roberta Warnken (ex- officio), Robert Bruchalski, (ex-officio), Carla Jones (ex-officio), and Olya Jerschkowsky (ex-officio). Valerie Pompey, Staff.

SUBCOMMITTEES AND WORK GROUPS

MDEC Advisory Subcommittee – Hon. John P. Morrissey, Chair Data Governance Subcommittee – Faye Gaskin and Jamie Walter, Co-Chairs Landlord/Tenant Bulk Filing Work group – Hon. John P. Morrissey, Chair National Open Court Data Standards Work Group – Theresa Nudell, Chair Online Dispute Resolution Work Group – Lou Gieszl, Chair

(Reporting Period – October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020)

The committee’s most significant activities during the reporting period include:

Appellate Court Cases on CaseSearch Both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Special Appeals’ cases were programmed to be uploaded to CaseSearch on May 18, 2020. The Court of Special Appeals’ cases are inclusive of cases from 2016 to present, while the Court of Appeals includes cases from 2014 to present. As data is quality-checked and becomes available, older cases in the Court of Special Appeals will be added to CaseSearch by term year in descending order. The Court of Appeals did not have an electronic case management system prior to MDEC, and as such, cases displayed will only reflect 2014 forward. Text Messaging Program The text messaging notification program was moved out of pilot status in April 2020. An evaluation was completed, which generally found that text message recipients have substantially higher appearance rates and the enrollment in the text messaging program is not considered burdensome to commissioners. Based on the evaluation, the following recommendations were made: transition the project to prototype portal-based enrollment, expand eligibility to other case types beyond criminal, and make some technology corrections and amendments to text messaging information. JIS is now working with the District Court Commissioners’ Office to develop portal-based enrollment for notifications to allow both clerks and commissioners to collect the necessary information to facilitate an individual’s participation in the program. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, text notifications were suspended as hearings were postponed. Text notifications resumed for cases on and after August 31. As a result of the pandemic, many hearings are now remote. To accommodate this, the language in the notices was changed. Defendants now receive a seven-day “generic” notice indicating that a hearing or trial date has been set and advising the defendant that the hearing may be remote or in person. Defendants also receive a one-day notice indicating the hearing or trial date has been set and advising the defendant that the hearing will either be remote or in-person.

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